Ride
by xQueenAly
Summary: When Katherine Winston leaves towns following a horrible tragedy, she left the people she loved worried sick. Now, she's back to make amends and vows to not fall right into the arms of the very man that hurt her in the first place. Easier said than done.
1. Chapter 1

Hope y'all enjoy! I was definitely inspired by a couple of crossover fanvids featuring Jax and Haley from OTH which y'all should definitely go check out on Youtube. Some of my favorites include National Anthem and obviously, Ride. Check them out and dozens more, they're my favorite crossover ship. Leave reviews beautiful people and have a wonderful day 3

* * *

What was once a nice reminder of home was now a taunting chunk of wood, the 'Welcome to Charming' sign glaring back at her as Kat sat on top of the roof of her '64 Impala, the smoke that had been streaming out from under the hood for the past ten minutes finally starting to subside and her cell phone clutched in her left hand. She had just finished telling a boy by the name of Half-Sack, whom she could only assume was a Prospect with quite the unfortunate nickname, that she was stuck on the outskirts of the town and to send Tig. No one but Tig.

Now, twenty minutes after, she lifted her head to see the old Teller-Morrow tow truck barreling down the exit road and right for her. She could hear the old school rock music blaring out the speakers and a small grin graced her gentle features as she leaned over to lay her elbows on her knees. From behind her tinted black sunglasses, she watched the tall man stroll towards her with his own matching glasses perched on his nose.

"Y'know, when the prospect told me a Kat was waiting for me by the Charming sign, I wanted to punch the shit outta him because how fucking stupid was that, right? And yet, here a pussy is, sittin' pretty on a beat up old cage with a shit-eatin' grin on her face." Tig finished, arms crossed over his defined chest as Kat turned her head slightly to look away from him and scratch the back of her blonde head.

"Got a lotta experience with pussies waiting for you huh, Tigger?" She shot back, hopping off the roof and onto the gravel beneath her heels.

"Ya little shit, get over here." She obliged, walking over to him and wrapping her arms around his body. He rubbed her back over her leather vest and she mimicked his movements. They seemed to stand there for hours, her first real taste of home right there in front of her. The first taste she'd had in almost four years.

After they separated and Tig hooked Kat's car to the truck, they started on their way back to town. The familiar landmarks from the town brought back enough memories to start a movie as she gazed out the window. First was the old high school, still standing tall and proud even after decades of wear and tear. She could remember her first two years of getting off that yellow school bus in the mornings and trudging towards the bricked building, dreading her long days ahead. Her only moments of bliss were at lunch when she'd sit with her brother and their best friend, eating the awful burgers and pizza, and fooling around, always causing a mess.

Then, not long after, came Main Street. With Floyd's and Gina's across the street from each other to the old marketplace, it was like she was back riding on her brother's bike all those years before. As Tig turned onto the familiar street that held both the clubhouse and the garage, Kat got a strange sense of nervousness. It'd been four, almost five, years of practically radio silence and here she was, out of the blue.

"So, tell me Tig - how is everybody these days? Still fucking shit up in this peaceful little town?" Her voice didn't waver for a second but still, Tig could hear the concern in her voice.

"Don't bullshit me, Kitty, you wanna know how your boy's doin', right? Well he's fine. Don't suppose you wanna know how your own flesh an' blood is right?" Kat sucked in a breath and nodded, her sunglasses bouncing a little as she did so. He snuck a glance at her before continuing, "Ope's good. Piney's got that little oxygen tank shit still but won't put down the fucking cigarettes, and Donna is still holding on pretty damn tight. She's tough, gotta admit that."

Kat let out a chuckle before peering over at him from the window. "You have no idea how strong that woman is."

Before he could even question her comment, the truck pulled into the parking lot of the garage and goddammit if Kat wasn't scared shitless. The familiar smell of motor oil and nicotine attacked her senses, more flashbacks of years spent at the picnic table by the office, doing homework, stealing cigarettes or even organizing files for Gemma came rushing back. She didn't know how long she sat there, thinking and rethinking her decision to come back but it all halted when there was a bang on the metal door.

"Come on, Kitty. You know we won't bite." Tig's voice came from below, the top of his head peeking through the window and his fist banging on the door once more. "Don't make me drag ya."

Kat let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in, her hands pushing open the truck door and Tig taking her free hand to help her jump out. Hidden from the rest of guys working in the shop and Gemma's eyes, as she was conveniently smoking right then, by the still open door, she looked at Tig from behind her sunglasses.

"I don't think I can do this. Take me back to Orlando, it was nice there." She was only half joking but honestly, the other half of her was fighting for this pretty strong. She could find a flight back to 'Lanta tonight and drive down the rest of the way, this whole trip becoming merely a memory she tucks away forever.

"Orlando huh? That's one place we didn't look. Whatever, just shut the fuck up, turn yourself around, an' give me a nice view of that ass as you walk over there." He turned her body himself, planting two hands on her shoulders and giving her ass a little knee push. Kat sucked in another breath before holding her head high as she stepped forward on the concrete towards the office. It was only until she was halfway there and too far away from truck that she realized Gemma was walking towards her too. They would eventually meet halfway.

"Katherine Elizabeth Winston, you bitch."

Okay, she deserved that.

"Come here."

 _That_ was unexpected.

A hug wasn't something that Gemma Teller handed out willey-nilley so if she was getting one, four years of absence must not have been as bad as she thought. Kat returned the hug, feeling Gemma pull back all too soon to start playing with Kat's longer hair, longer than it was when she left. It had been short, barely brushing the bottom of her jaw, and layered. It wasn't much longer now but she'd finally stopped straightening it so much and let her now blonde curls hang loose onto her shoulders.

"You look beautiful darlin'. God, I missed you. Where the fuck have you been?" Gemma switched up from being a caring mother to being a pissed off one so quick, Kat had to remind herself that this was normal Gemma behavior.

"Well," She looked around the unusually empty lot before taking Gemma's elbow and leading her into the office. "Reno for a bit, then I went to Arizona, travelled a little until I got to Austin, but stopped in Orlando for a good three years."

"What the hell kept you in Orlando for three years?" Gemma's eyes followed Kat as she sat down on the office chair, her hands firmly planted on her hips.

"I was avoiding confrontation?" She offered up, her shoulders rising and her hands shoving into her pockets as Gemma sat down in the office chair behind the desk. "It's the coward's way out, I know, but I couldn't bring myself to hop on plane and come back."

"So that means you can't call, text, e-mail, hell, send a goddamn carrier pigeon to let us all know you weren't dead in a fucking ditch off the side of a highway somewhere?" Gemma crossed her arms under chest and pursed her lips, reminding Kat of all the times she'd gotten into trouble and the same stance had come into play. "Okay, forget all that, for now, why'd you come back?"

Kat's back stiffened as she pulled off her bracelets to reveal the purple-black bruises going all the around her wrist. She then pulled up the tank top she was wearing to reveal a long, fresh scar going from her hip to her bellybutton, still pink and quite tender. Gemma raised herself up from the chair to stand right in front of Kat.

"Holy shit, Kitty, oh my God. Who did this to you?" Gemma gently reached up stroke the cheek of the woman in front of her who, with tears filling her brown eyes, looked so much like the twenty-five year old who'd left all those years ago.

"A man that was supposed to love me - and he _did_ , until I pissed him off." Kat sniffled, closing her eyes as a couple tears rolled down her cheeks. Soon, she was in Gemma's arms again and having her back rubbed by the only mother she really ever knew.

And they stayed like that for while, a good long while.

* * *

Within the hour, Tig, Gemma, and Kat had managed to load the four suitcases in the trunk of Kat's car into Gemma's SUV and driven her to the diner, old Mrs. Belfort serving her Kat's old favorite, a bacon double cheeseburger with a glass of Coke and a side of onion rings. Eventually, Kat was full of the very same junk food she'd been avoiding for the past couple of years. She'd been on her very last sip of Coke when the roar of motorcycles came closer and closer, her head shooting up and around to watch the massive crowd of Harley's barreling down the normally quiet streets.

"They just came back from a run. Tig slept with the guy's ex a while back and he didn't wanna be any trouble for them." Gemma's explanation fell on deaf ears as Kat worriedly chewed her bottom lip, staring out the plate glass window at the horde of bikers rumbling away and towards the Clubhouse. "You wanna go and surprise 'em?"

"What? Uh …" Kat looked between the two smirking brunettes in front of her, still chewing on her lip. "Depends. Are you guys gonna throw me to the pack and save your own hides?"

"Oh hell yeah, we will. Four years Kitty, four fucking years." Tig threw her a wolfish grin as he slid out of the booth and headed for the door, the two women not far behind. He drove ahead of them on his bike, Gemma following closely behind with Kat in the front seat, shaking her leg so fast she thought it was gonna go flying off.

"Breathe, baby, they'll be happy to see you." Gemma assured her, placing a hand on Kat's knee to stop the shaking. Kat gave her a meek nod and sighed as Gemma pulled slowly back into the lot, parking in her usual spot closest to the office. She hopped out of the driver's side while Kat sat frozen in her seat, scared shitless.

 _Get out of the fucking car, you little bitch. Don't be a coward anymore, you're a Winston for God's sake. Is this how Pop raised you? How about Ope? Get the fuck out!_ Her inner voice shouted at her, causing the young woman to push open the SUV door and let her boots hit the pavement once more. She prepared her best war face and shook the hair out of her eyes, marching towards the crowd of bikers staring at her from inside the garage.

Everyone was silent as they had a mini staring contest, Tig and Gemma off to the side watching intently. None of the guys made a move to say anything and Kat sure as hell wasn't gonna break first.

Finally, it was Piney, with his oxygen tank rolling behind him and wrinkled arm stretched out, that broke the silence.

"Well I'll be damned. Baby girl, I missed you." He pulled the young girl into a tight hug, earning a cheer from everyone else as they all surrounded Kat as well.

Kat was engulfed in hug after hug, from members and hangarounds alike before it came down to the final four. Clay, Bobby, Opie and Jax stood towards the back of the room in a semi-circle, staring her down. At five feet, two inches, Kat was the size of a middle schooler and the men that she'd grown up with were all well over six feet, save for Bobby who was barely six inches taller than her. Still, he looked menacing as hell.

"She fuckin' lives." Clay broke the tension first by dryly pointing out the obvious. "We all thought you were off in hell shootin' the shit with Elvis and John Lennon."

"I doubt John Lennon's in hell." She replied, crossing her arms.

"And what, Elvis is?" Bobby exclaimed, a hearty chuckle erupting from him. He sort of waddled over to her while Opie scoffed and stormed past her. Jax wasn't that far behind him. Bobby sighed as he hugged her and whispered, "Maybe you should go after one of them?"

 _Yeah,_ Kat thought, _but which one?_


	2. Chapter 2

It was a split second decision but as she made her way to the taller man, she knew it was for the best.

"I don't wanna hear your bullshit sob story Kat." He grumbled, reaching for his helmet and staring down at her with angry eyes.

"Opie, you're my brother. I'm not gonna just -" The giant cut her off mid-sentence, flinging his helmet on the ground angrily.

"Oh, _now_ I'm your brother? I wasn't your brother when you fucked off to wherever the hell you went to and left me here to hurt, wondering if you were even alive goddammit!" Kat flinched slightly at his shouting before taking a small deep breath. _Be calm and level-headed, Katherine._

"I was heartbroken Ope. I'm sorry." Kat didn't look him in the eye, settling for staring at the concrete beneath their feet as Opie tried to hide his shock. Katherine Winston didn't apologize to anyone, she was a stubborn brat that way. "But you weren't any fuckin' help either! You took his fucking side you piece of shit!"

There it was. She placed her small hands on his chest, giving him her best shove. He gave her a little smirk as he readied himself for a classic Winston siblings argument. Opie would never admit it out loud but he kinda missed these moments.

"I'm the piece of shit? Sweetheart, you abandoned your fucking family! I went to jail in the time you were fucking gone. Ja - People got married, had kids, Pop could've fucking died and you wouldn't have known because you were God knows where doing God knows what!" She turned from him, running two hands through her hair in frustration. Kat hadn't missed his little slip but she'd deal with that later. "No, no, you're not walking away again."

"Oh, shut up! You and I both know I never run from my problems or my family so how you fail to see just how much what happened hurt me is beyond me. Despite the dumb face you're constantly sportin', I know you're no fucking idiot _Harry_." She sat down on the nearest picnic table bench, holding back tears. Her voice dropped down to a whisper. "I needed my big brother way more than he needed his best friend and you weren't there for me. I just needed you there for me. I'm sorry Ope, I really am."

It tore the gentle giant apart to see his baby sister crying in that parking lot and he gently sat down next to her, taking her little body into his big arms.

"I'm sorry too Kat. You're such a tough bitch that sometimes I forget you hurt too sometimes." Kat chuckled a little and hugged her brother back. They sat there for a bit, taking comfort in each other like they'd always done.

After promising to make a visit to him and Donna, along with the kids, the next day, Kat got the keys to her car back from the prospect. She took a deep breath as she headed towards the suburban part of town. Gemma had promised her that Kat's old place was still standing and empty, regularly dusted in the hopes that she'd return home one day.

So here she was, standing in the driveway with the keys in her hand and the chilly NorCal evening wind running through her hair.

A shiver ran through her, both from the wind and from the memories. It'd been her first own real place and she'd shared it with _him_. Her best and her worst memories were in this place.

Opening the door, Kat found herself holding back tears. The last time she'd been here, she was packing. The old leather sectional was still there, the giant seventy inch flat screen on the wall, her beloved kitchen and the pool in the backyard. To the right of her, the long hallway held doors to the bathroom, two extra bedrooms and the master, which had an en suite.

One of those rooms had been being painted over and decorated for a nursery. A crib sat in the middle of the back wall and a rocking chair was placed in the corner.

Kat let out a choked sob as she fell to her knees in the middle of the carpeted room, tears streaming freely down her cheeks.

At eighteen weeks pregnant, after returning home from shopping with Gemma, Kat had found herself in horrible pain on the kitchen floor. There was blood everywhere. Somehow, she managed to get to her cell phone and dial for an ambulance.

She had wished and prayed and hoped that there was a legit reason - something she could fix or take medicine for. Any fucking reason as to why she had lost something so precious to her. Instead, the doctors had to tell her that sometimes, these unfortunate things happen.

When all was said and done, Kat turned to the father of her unborn child and the love of her life for comfort. Jax provided none. Looking back now, she could see that he was heartbroken as well but he numbed the pain with alcohol, drugs, and time spent at the Clubhouse.

It took her a couple weeks but Kat started to realize that Jax was at home less and less. After a couple days of not seeing him at all, she marched herself down to the Clubhouse. What she saw broke her heart.

* * *

" _Get the fuck outta my way Opie." She screamed at her brother, putting all her weight into pushing her brother's beefy arm away from blocking her access to the dorms. It fell to his side and she sprinted past him, down the hall, and into Jax's dorm. He lay there as some bottle redhead with fake tits rode him and Kat scoffed._

 _Usually, it would've been an all out brawl as Kat dragged the sweetbutt out into the parking lot and beat her on the concrete - only to return to do the same to Jax._

 _However, Kat was worn down and tired. She was so exhausted in all aspects and simply wanted to return home, which was her intention. Of course, despite how he'd been acting, Jax was willing to chase after her. He chased her, barefoot and shirtless but wearing jeans, out in the parking lot._

" _Kat - I -" He had no explanation and she wasn't even looking at him. Though, when she did turn around, it wasn't any better. One tear had managed to roll down her cheek and he wanted nothing more than to wipe it away._

 _The blonde man felt her hand connect with his cheek, heard her voice quietly say, "I hate you" and there was so much venom in those words, he visibly flinched. She tore off the 16k engagement ring and let it drop to the ground as she climbed back into the Impala and tore off the lot._

* * *

Opie had come by the next day to try and convince her to forgive Jax. Gemma must've called a hundred times and so did her dad. Around six p.m., she'd chucked her cell phone off a bridge into a lake as she was driving to Reno. When Kat found a phone booth outside of some dive bar, she dialed Jax's number and he hadn't picked up. So she left a message.

" _I'm sure you won't miss me, not like you did Tara. I could always tell you were still in love with her, even when you were with me and you seemed happy. I could still see it somewhere behind your eyes. I'll never be her, I know that. Doesn't mean I didn't love you. I think I always have, ever since we were little. So there. I love you Jackson - but I gotta love myself a little more this time."_

Now, she picked herself off the floor of the unfinished nursery and wiped her tears away. Kat walked out to her car to retrieve all of her bags before dropping them unceremoniously onto the king-sized bed. Next was a well needed and long hot shower where she let the rest of her tears fall down the drain.

It must've been the crying mixed with the running water that prevented her from hearing the Dyna stop outside the small house. The only reason she even realized it was out there was because she had noticed it through her window after drying herself off and slipping to a pair of shorts and an old SAMCRO tank top.

Her little feet stomped out of the bedroom and stopped abruptly at the sight of the kutte wearing son of a bitch standing in the middle of her living room.

"What the fuck are you doing in _my_ house Jackson?"


End file.
